In Munchkinland
by Descending Rival
Summary: A story about some events in Elphaba's childhood.  Musical verse mostly
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all. This is my first fan fiction ever, so yay! I wrote it before I knew this website existed, obsessed to my friends about it, and they told me about this site. So now, after reading a ridiculous amount of fan fiction, I finally made one of these. Hooray!**

**Anyway, though the book tells you about Elphaba's quadling childhood, in the musical you don't really know much except her father hates her… so I wrote something about that. I actually wasn't sure how mean I should make Frex, so I hope I did good on that… It's musical verse except for the whole 'water burns her' thingy.**

**Disclaimer: Wicked does not belong to me**

"Ooh, it's so pretty!" Little Nessarose squealed happily, as a little group of people came over the crest of a shallow hill to a little meadow of wildflowers. The flowers bloomed in hundreds of different colors among gentle blades of grass, and beyond a small pond the growing fields of Munchkinland could be seen, glowing varying shades green and orange in the morning light. A few servants pushed her wheelchair, and the governor, Frex, walked beside his lovely daughter with a dignified air. He smiled warmly down at her.

Lagging behind the main group walked another girl, a bit older than the one in the chair, wearing a short blue-ish dress and black hair swinging down her back. Her skin was a pearly green similar to the stems of the flowers she trod on.

"Elphaba, come on, aren't they pretty?" Nessa asked happily. Elphaba didn't speed up, but continued walking slowly until she was next to her sister. "Aren't they pretty?" She repeated.

"Yeah, pretty…" Elphaba said quietly, almost to herself, and sat down in the soft grass next to the chair, twirling a red wildflower between her fingers.

"They're beautiful, my precious." Frex said, walking over and kissing Nessa on the cheek. "Have fun, darling. Elphaba, watch your sister." Elphaba didn't mention the fact that Nessa was hardly going anywhere, even without Frex watching like a hawk from across the field, what with being strapped in a chair as she was. In fact, the green girl did not even think those thoughts; she still had the innocence that young children often possess.

Going to these little meadows was a treat for the girls, or more specifically for Nessarose who loved the colors on the mornings of late spring such as this one. She exclaimed how pretty they were each time. The girls, being so young and being the governor's daughters didn't leave their large house often, though Elphaba didn't enjoy the outings as much as she should have. She just came along.

"Wow, look at that one, sissy, can you pick it for me? I can't reach." Nessa pointed to a patch of flowers a few feet away.

"This one?" She asked, picking one.

"No. No the big purple one." Elphaba saw the one her sister spoke of, and pulled the blossom up by its roots, which hung loosely in the air.

"Purple's my favorite color." Nessarose took the flower and held it as if it were a delicate piece of jewelry rather than a weed. "What's your favorite color Elphaba?"

"I think I like red." She replied, spinning the crimson flower again and smiling.

"Ew," Her sister said, wrinkling her nose, "red's the color of blood."

"It's the color of roses, too, and roses are pretty."

"I think you should like _green_." Nessarose giggled.

"Why?" Of course Elphaba could easily guess why, but she couldn't keep from asking. She glanced down at her emerald hands.

"Because of your _skin_, silly."

Elphaba gave Nessa a strange look. "Your skin is white, but you said you like purple."

"Oh yeah. That's funny." Nessa laughed, and though Elphaba didn't think it was that funny, she smiled at her sweet little sister anyway. She pushed her sister around for a while and they admired the flowers. Then Nessa's blue eyes lit up. "Ooh, a frog! Sissy, can you get it?" The emerald child didn't answer, but followed her sister's gaze to a brown toad near the pond. She walked over to it and crouched down. The little creature wasn't scared of her at all, it seemed, and her plan was to pick it up and bring it back to Nessarose. But as she was about to cup it in her hands, she saw the sharp reflection of the sun off water on the bumpy surface of the toads skin. Elphaba recoiled instantly and ran back to Nessa.

"Ahhh, you couldn't get it?" She asked.

"It was wet." Was the reply.

"You never touch water." Nessa pouted. "I dare you to go and put your hand in the pond."

"_No_." Elphaba spoke the word with a sudden firmness.

"_Please_." Her sister begged.

"Maybe you should do as your sister asks." Elphaba jumped at the sound of her father's voice. It had lost the warmth from when he had spoken to Nessarose not too long ago.

"But Father," The green child said with a lowered head, "the water will burn my skin bad."

"Maybe it will do you good to get wet. Maybe it will make that putrescent skin of yours go away." Frex said the words as if there were an unpleasant taste in his mouth.

"Putrescent?"

Frex gave a very obvious and impatient sigh, as if this child was expected to understand the meaning of such a long word. "It means 'undergoing the process of decay'."

Elphaba's brow crinkled "Decay?" She looked down at her skin. "My skin looks like it's decaying?" She asked, curious. She knew it was an odd color… but decaying? The idea was new to her. Nessa's sweet voice piped up before Frex could respond.

"Daddy, it's getting cold. Can we go in?" She asked, apparently oblivious to the exchange.

"Of course. I have work to get to as well." His smile was back. He called to the servants to get the wheelchair and the little procession started back to the governor's house, leaving the flower field behind them.

"Nessa, do you think my skin looks like it's decaying?" Elphaba asked once they were back at the manor and eating breakfast. A nanny was watching the two girls as they ate, because Frex was busy with governor business as usual.

"Decaying?" Nessarose inquired.

"It's kind of like rotting I think."

"Ew, if your skin was rotting wouldn't you smell bad? Your skins just all_ weird_." She giggled. "It's all green when it's suppose to be all white or brown or something."

"Oh." Elphaba said. "What about you, nanny?"

"Eat your eggs, dear. You haven't touched your breakfast at all." The nanny was avoiding the question, but Elphaba didn't notice and tried again. "What do you think of my skin?"

"It's interesting, honey." The nanny replied, a little too sweet and slightly uncomfortably. Elphaba picked up on it this time and looked down at her plate to poke at her food again.

That night Elphaba got in bed early, and pretended to sleep while Frex tucked Nessa in the bed next to hers. She couldn't sleep at all though, so once the rest of the house was sleeping she slipped out of bed.

Under her bed there was an old wall mirror that had long since been removed from the wall. She pulled it out and wiped the dust off, sending little particles into the air, and propped it against the wall. Her bedside candle let off an orange glow as she lit it, setting light on sleeping Nessarose. She set it beside the mirror and looked at the reflection.

Of course she had realized that it was not normal for a person's skin to be green, but until now she hadn't realized how strange others seemed to think it was. She didn't often see people from outside the governor's house. She wasn't aloud to go near her father's business guests ever, but the few people she did see gave her strange looks. Sometimes it was just surprise or interest on their faces, which Elphaba understood, but sometimes there was something else too, something she never really figured out.

But hadn't she seen that same look on her father's face many times? She had seen it today clearer than ever before. It was disgust, wasn't it? She felt a pang in her chest and put an emerald hand on the glass. The girl in the mirror did the same. Elphaba's hair fell past her shoulders like a waterfall and her skin looked almost brown in the dull light where the green clashed with orange, so that she could almost trick herself into thinking it was normal. _Am I that strange?_ She asked herself silently. She had a feeling like she was going to cry, but held back tears for fear of the hurt.

Looking into that glass, Elphaba asked herself a question she had been wondering for a long time but hadn't the courage to face until now. _Why does Father hate me?_

**Please review =)**


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It helps. This is short, and I'm not sure if Elphaba stayed in character enough, but she was suppose to change here… I'm not sure.

Btw, I might've messed up something while trying to summit this (me and technology aren't exactly best friends all the time).

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Elphaba stood at a door and took a deep breath. She knocked.

"Come in." Her father's voice called from his office. The door opened with a creak and the green girl walked in slowly. His face twisted into a scowl when he saw who was there. She saw these things even more now; ever since the night she had realized how her father felt about her, not a single grimace or look of disgust went unnoticed.

"Hello Father." She said politely, quietly.

"I hope you have a good reason for coming in here and wasting my time. I have work to do." He told her, looking down at the work on his desk rather than up. She was unsure of what to say. This had been a good idea in her head, but actually being here was different.

"Why do you hate me?" She blurted, and then closed her mouth tightly. She hadn't meant to ask outright! She sat down in a cushiony chair, looking down at her hands, afraid of what might come next.

"Surely you know what you did." He replied, still not looking up. His voice was cool and controlled. An icy feeling rushed down Elphaba's neck. He hadn't denied it. He hadn't denied he hated her. Whatever hope she might have had vanished in that moment.

"What did I do?" She managed. She hadn't done anything so wrong that he would hate her like this. The only thing she could think of was being born strange. But how could it be her fault that her skin was green?

"Don't be ignorant!" He cried at her, suddenly angry. Elphaba shrunk away. "It's because of you my little Nessa is disabled! It's because of you I gave Melena those wretched flowers to eat! It because of you she's dead and Nessarose will never walk!" He was livid. Elphaba didn't understand and didn't know what to say. Could what he said be true? Her instinct told her to run away, and she was about to when a man walked in.

He stopped short at the sight of Elphaba, who ducked her head and blushed a dark green with embarrassment.

"I apologize- my-my _daughter_." Frex stuttered angrily, practically choking on the last word.

"Your_ daughter_?" The man asked, bewildered. Elphaba turned even darker green and took that moment to escape. As she flew out the door a strong wind came out of nowhere and whipped the papers on his desk around the room.

She ran to her room. Nessa was with the nanny and wouldn't need her for a while, so she had time alone, which she sent doing something between brooding and sulking. So she knew for sure now. Would Frex lie? She didn't think so. So was it really her fault Nessa was in a wheelchair? It would never be intentional! But it must have been her. She sighed and picked up a green bottle under her pillow.

Why had she been so embarrassed to be seen? Because she was green? She had been. She had been embarrassed of herself, of something she couldn't help! She shouldn't have to hide her face for her whole life because of that! She had seen few new people since the families trip to the flower fields, and now she _was_ embarrassed, she realized. A sort of rebellious anger rose in her, and she clenched and unclenched her fists.

She wasn't going to sulk any longer. She was going to do something, _anything_, to prove she was not embarrassed. Let them stare! She wouldn't care what anyone thought.

Elphaba smiled to herself and made her way to the busier side of the house, where governor related things were carried out. Also the side of the house she was forbidden to go to during work hours. Here, random businessmen from other parts of Oz would be working. Perfect.

The green girl stalked though the halls with her long black braid trailing behind as people turned and blinked in surprise. There was a special thrill in breaking the rules, and whatever consequences came from this would be well worth it.

Eventually she opened the door to find a room full of people. It seemed as if some sort of council had just come to a close and the men were milling about afterwards. Heads turned as she walked as quietly as she could in. They all stared at her, then muttered in various tones to one another. Elphaba couldn't hear much of what they said, but it only took the words 'green' and 'freak' for her to get angry.

"What?" She asked the room, just loud enough to be heard above the noise. Silence.

"_What are you looking at?_" She asked louder, with more intensity. It wasn't just the few people she'd seen before who acted as if she carried some sort of disease! It was all of them! They were all so shallow and ignorant it was unbelievable!

Elphaba backed against the wall and clenched her fists. At that moment, a decorative vase shattered, sending glass pieces flying in all directions. A fire started where the vase had been, and began to spread across the floor. There were shouts and the room erupted into chaos, and people ran around, trying to put out the flames. At last they did, leaving a smoldering hole in the carpet, and Frex stormed into the room.

Elphaba sat on the ground frightened of what had just happened, when her father grabbed her by the arm and practically dragged her out. She was too scared to do anything but follow. Had _she_ done that?

"What happened?" Frex growled at her when they were alone in his office.

"I- I mean- I don't know." She whimpered, still scared.

"You shouldn't have been wandering around here! Now I'll have to explain to all those men about you! It may very well ruin my reputation!" He cried, "Not to mention having to pay for a new rug!"

"I'm sorry." The green girl said, and then looked up from her hands. "I just wanted to show them I'm not embarrassed! Why should my skin matter? They think it does, but I'll show them!" She spoke with intensity and her rose to a shout by the time she finished, but this was not a time or person to confess these things to, she realized as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

"You_ should_ be embarrassed. _I'm_ embarrassed." He said cruelly, "Now get out of this office and try not to blow anything up." He scowled.

"Yes sir." She said and ran back to the part of the house for living, while mixed emotions swirled around in her like a twister.

As angry as she was at the things that happened recently, and at herself for being embarrassed, Elphaba knew she would have to keep those feelings contained. What happened with the vase had been her doing. She could be dangerous.


	3. Chapter 3

Oh Gosh. Does anyone know how old they act? Because I wasn't sure what grade to put them in at all. If they don't act like first graders… tell me and then pretend they're in a different grade, I guess. And I'll fix it. If a character can be wobbly, then I'd say that may be what I'm doing to Elphaba accidentally. I'm trying to fix it though.

I actually got the idea of having Elphaba go to school because of a dream. As in, I was Elphaba and I was seven or something, and I went to elementary school. And then I got mad and yelled at everyone about not being mean, which I'm not putting in here because it was super stupid. Yeah, I'm that obsessed…

Please review! It makes me happy to get reviews (: And thanks again to everyone who has reviewed.

Disclaimer: Obviously Wicked does not belong to me

"Daddy, I think I want to go to school. Real school." Nessarose said one night while being tucked into bed. Her sister, green Elphaba, looked up from where she had been reading in the bed beside it, suddenly curious.

"Darling, aren't you happy with the tutors that have been teaching you?" Frex asked kindly. The girls didn't go to normal school, but rather were home schooled by the, in Elphaba's opinion, official, strict, and not very good, tutors.

"Yes, but I've never met anyone my age before except my sister. Elphaba is the only person who's really my friend." She replied in her sweet voice, looking at the green girl.

"Well I can see how that could be… disappointing, but really, I don't know if it's a great idea." Elphaba looked pointedly down at her book again and scowled.

"Please Daddy. I want to have real friends." Nessa whined in a voice that had even Elphaba feeling sorry for her.

"I'm sorry, love, the answer is no for now." Their father told her, though his decision seemed hesitant, then kissed her goodnight and walked out of the room with only a reminding for Elphaba to keep her sister safe.

Elphaba couldn't fall asleep that night. The idea of actual school was exciting. Was there the slightest chance that, even if Nessarose convinced Frex to let her go, he would let Elphaba go as well? Maybe. In school there would be actually grades, maybe even tests too. There was no way for Elphaba to know if she was really learning right now. The tutors just taught; they didn't give assignments or anything of the sort, not to mention that they didn't disguise their dislike for the oldest Thropp child. To feel like she was learning would be amazing.

She also couldn't help but wonder what school would be like on a social level as well. Despite her 'I don't care what you think of me' attitude she had been wearing since her little adventure in the spring, she really did care to a certain degree. Would children her age act different about her than the men she had seen around the mansion? She didn't know very much about socializing, but she could probably make friends. The idea was exciting.

In the weeks that followed, Nessarose asked about school each nigh, begging her father to let her attend. It was clear that Frex was torn between granting his daughter's wish and keeping her safe from the world. He would refuse to let her go, each time sounding a bit more distraught, until finally one night she said to him,

"How can I hope to be normal despite my disability if you won't let me go to school like a normal child?" Frex practically gasped in surprise and looked down at Nessarose, who looked up sadly.

"My dear! I- I didn't realize you felt that way." He stuttered, sorrow showing clearly in his voice. He shot an accusing glance at Elphaba, "Being in a wheelchair doesn't change anything though. You know that right?" Elphaba looked away; she knew Frex blamed her for Nessa's disability, and she too blamed herself.

"Then let me go to school."

"Okay." He sighed, consenting at last. "I'll find a way." As he left Elphaba snorted. Had she tried to use_ her_ disability as an excuse to go to school, their father wouldn't have consent. Had Nessa been manipulating him? Perhaps she had, unintentionally.

Elphaba's excitement returned. She wanted to go to school too! Maybe Frex would let her. Just maybe.

"I've come to a conclusion." Frex told the two girls while they were eating lunch one day. "Nessarose, you can't go to school alone. So, " he sighed, "I am going to send your sister to watch over you." He didn't sound thrilled with the idea. Elphaba's face lit up. She was going to go to school! She was going to learn!

"Oh, Daddy! Daddy, thank you!" Nessa squealed, reflecting her sister's happiness.

"You'll start tomorrow at a private school a few miles from here. I have all the supplies you will need already. I hope you have fun my dear." He smiled, almost nervously, at his little girl and left, telling her had business to attend to.

"Sissy, we're going to school! Isn't it exciting? I hope I make friends." Nessarose babbled.

"Of course you'll make friends Nessa. Who wouldn't love you?" Elphaba smiled "I'm excited too."

The next day they were woken up early to get ready. Nessarose wore a pretty but casual dress, and Elphaba a plain shirt and skirt. They rode to the school, which consisted of five grades and only about a hundred children total, in silence. Elphaba was extremely nervous and could tell her sister was too from the way she looked at her hands, flushing, the entire way there. They arrived at the school to see that it was small but sturdy, with red and brown bricks making up the walls, and a dainty little field in the back.

The servants got Nessarose out and into chair, and Elphaba walked behind Frex, pushing Nessa in. The inside was just as nice, and Frex seemed content with it.

"Hello there! You must be Frex, the governor." A plump blond woman with a wide smile said, shaking his hand. "And Nessarose, I assume?" She shook the little girl's hand too. "And- Oh." She paused, but only for a second before saying, "L didn't realize you had two daughters enrolling. Great!. It's nice to meet you. What's your name dear?"

"Elphaba." She replied. The woman shook her hand as well.

"I'm the principal and first grade teacher, Mrs. Leane. I'll be helping you figure things out here. Now how old did you say your girls were?"

"Six and Seven." Frex replied sullenly, and then pointed at Elphaba. "But she is here to watch her sister."

"Okay, well the first thing to do is test them to see their level of learning. Don't worry dearies, it's not too hard." She chirped.

They were escorted into another room and given a test that was, in Elphaba's opinion, relatively easy. Frex watched warily. When the two of them finished Mrs. Leane took the tests up to grade, leaving the three Thropps alone in the empty classroom. Frex talked to Nessa quietly, asking her how it went and praising her effort, while Elphaba sat with her back to them thinking about the test. There was defiantly a unique feeling to taking a test, almost exhilarating. The green girl decided she liked it.

"Now then, " Mrs. Leane said, coming back, "both of them did quite well. Nessarose has tested into first grade level, which is exactly where she should be. Elphaba… you said they were both learning the same thing?"

"Yes."

"Strange, Elphaba has tested into third grade level. She's very bright, though I can't imagine how she would learn all that on her own-"

"I read." Elphaba interrupted, and the two adults turned to look at her, Frex with an expression of anger for her speaking out. She looked down and blushed. "Books. I read them. A lot."

"Well then, that would explain it!" Mrs. Leane told them happily, clapping her hands together. "So little Nessarose can be in my class, and Elphaba can be in Mrs. McLain's class-"

"I've told you, Elphaba is here only to watch Nessarose." Mrs. Leane's eyes widened as she relized what he was saying.

"…You mean you would like her in my class?" The teacher asked slowly. Frex nodded, eyes looking slightly dangerous.

"Yes, that is what I'm saying."

"But- but she's so smart! You wouldn't deny her education, would you?"

"She's my child, so I will do what I like, thank you!" Frex growled, looking strained and embarrassed to admit it. Mrs. Leane seemed to pick up on the discrimination.

"If you insist." She said sadly after a long pause, looking at Elphaba with a pitying expression. She seemeed to realize she would not win an argument with the Governor. "Come with me to the classroom." She led them down halls marked as different grade levels until they came to one that was marked with Mrs. Leane's name.

"Here we are." She told them happily, and walked in with the rest of the group behind her. "We have new students, class!" She called.

There was immediate commotion. A few girls screamed and hid under the desks, one boy yelled "Ew!" causing giggles throughout the room, a few people laughed, and the rest just muttered among themselves and stared. Elphaba felt heat rush to her cheeks, and though she wanted to speak out, she couldn't seem to speak.

"What's wrong with her?" A kid asked.

"Duh, she's green." Another answered, scoffing.

"Why?" Asked a girl innocently, "Hey, why are you green?"

"Uh- I" Elphaba stuttered.

"Are you seasick? My Da went fishing and said a man turned green with seasickness."

"No…" She mumbled.

"Did you eat too many veggies? Ma says they're _good_ for me." The girl sounded scared. "I don't wanna turn green!"

"No." Elphaba said again, a little louder.

"What about grass?"

"Are you an alien."

"_No_!" She snapped. "That's stupid."

"Then what?"

"You're freaking us out."

"Can you make it stop? It's scary." Frightened under the pressure, Elphaba began to back out the door, but her father pushed her back in. The other children continued to poke questions at her, until a single tear slid down her face. She yelped and fell to the ground, using her skirt to wipe her burning skin. Some kids laughed, but she just sat there, humiliated.

Mrs. Leane came to the rescue, pulling the green girl up and whispering in her ear

"It's okay, hon, they'll get used to it." Elphaba nodded and took the woman's hand. "This is Elphaba and Nessarose Thropp, the governors daughters. They're new here, so be nice. And no harassing the poor things." She told the class. Still trembling slightly, Elphaba grabbed her sister's chair and moved into the classroom.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hmm… I'm not that happy with this chapter, but I can't seem to fix it. Oh well. But I seriously know if they act the age they are. I don't like thinking up 'ozian' names, so in the end I actually did resort to naming someone Sarah…**

**Is there a way to reply to reviews? Because I'll do that if there is because I really appreciate 'em.**

**Disclaimer: Wicked= not mine**

"Elphaba, you can sit over here with Kyna and Cynthia. And Nessarose, you can 43zxjusit next to Abigail and Riamond." Mrs. Leane told the girls, escorting them to their seats. The green one, Elphaba, seemed to be calming down, so she cleverly put the two girls within talking distance so that they could communicate or comfort each other if needed, but not too close so that they would have to make friends. The teacher prided herself in knowing how to handle new children.

The desks were arranged into five groups of four in the brightly lit room. As Elphaba walked to her seat, eyes continued to follow her. She did her best to ignore them as she sat down, looking at the warm brown wood of the desk rather than around the room and telling herself she didn't care what anyone thought. The boy sitting next to her made a disgusted face at her and scooted to the edge of his chair.

Mrs. Leane began teaching them about the history of Munchkinland, something the green girl already knew, but listened to anyway. The woman had a very optimistic style of teaching that kept her interest. But still, she couldn't shake off the feeling that the entire class was staring at her. They probably were.

"Now, I would like you to do the worksheet on you tables. It's not too hard, and the answers can be found in your textbooks if you read them." The teacher told them, beaming. There was a universal groan from the class. "Now, dearies, that's not a good attitude. The sooner you get it done, the sooner you go outside."

"Excuse me ma'am, but I don't have a textbook." Nessarose said politely. "And my sister probably doesn't either."

"Oh, yes! Of course. I'll go get your books. Begin your work while I'm gone, class." She replied, and trotted out of the room. As soon as she was out of hearing range there a wave of chatter rose up from among the students. Not used to socializing, Elphaba looked down at the worksheet and smiled. She knew the answers already, even without the textbook. She completed the paper quickly, then looked up nervously, unsure of what to do now that she was finished.

"So you're the governor's daughter?" A voice across from her asked. Two girls with identical brown curls and icy blue eyes sat across from her, wearing identical smirks. The emerald child looked back and forth between them in confusion. They were even dressed the same! They laughed in unison.

"We're twins." One said. "I'm Cynthia and this is Kyna."

"Oh," Elphaba blinked. "yes. I'm Elphaba. You're… twins?"

"Yep, but we're not _exactly_ alike. I'm smarter." Cynthia answered, smirking.

"But I'm faster. And older." Her sister rolled her eyes.

"By a minute."

"I'm still older. So why are you so weird, Elphaba?" Kyna asked bluntly, only to be pushed by her sister.

"She just wants to know why you're green." Elphaba looked at them with a weary expression. This was not something she wanted to talk about, not in her first social conversation ever.

"I don't know." She replied stonily, staring intently at the dirty tiles on the ground.

"Well, it _is_ nasty looking. You can't fix it can you?" Cynthia asked, oblivious to how cruel her words were. Elphaba's eyes narrowed as she looked up sharply.

"Maybe there's nothing to fix!" She snapped defensively. The boy sitting next to her laughed.

"There's _obviously_ something to fix." He sneered. Fuming, Elphaba pulled her long emerald legs into her chair and glanced at Nessa, who was talking shyly to the girl next to her.

"Sorry, it took so long!" Mrs. Lean announced, returning at that moment. "You have no idea how messy the storage room is!" She gave the Thropp sisters each a stack of dusty books, then looked around the room like a mother who caught her child sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar. "Did _any_ of you finish, or even start, you assignment?" The students looked up at her sheepishly, and Elphaba slowly raised a hand.

"I finished." She said quietly, not wanting to attract too much attention.

"Ah! Did you use someone else's book?"

"No. I just already knew it." Mrs. Leane beamed at her.

"I wish your father had let me put you in a higher class, but since he won't I'll be sure to give you work that's on your level of learning!" She told the child in a business-like way, and then muttered, "I'll have to go get the third grade books now…" before running out of the room again. This time a couple kids began their work.

"Thanks, you probably just bought us another ten minutes." The boy next to her said, leaning back in his chair. Elphaba gave him a guarded look. "You're pretty smart, Greeny. Will you give us the answers?" Across the table the twins nodded vigorously.

"No!" She snapped, angered by the name he'd called her. "Do your own work!" Some of the kids looked over and the boy sat up with a cocky grin at the attention.

"Why not, Lizard Girl? It's not like you have anything better to do." Elphaba hissed in annoyance, trying to keep her anger under control. Just when it felt as if she would explode, Nessa rolled over.

"Are you okay Sissy?" She said with concern in her voice. Elphaba felt a wave of relief that her sister cared enough to ask. "I need some help with the worksheet." Elphaba sighed. Of course.

"I'll help you Nessa." She replied, thankful for any opportunity to get away from the jerk that sat next to her.

"Thanks Elphaba." She said as the green girl came over to help, ignoring the muttering behind her.

The names stuck. After finishing their work they went outside to play, something that was suppose to be treat, but to Elphaba was no fun at all. The sun was scorching and the teachers weren't close enough to supervise the name-calling and harassing. Children made a sort of game of it, it seemed. Who could get closet to the green freak and call her the most creative name without getting in trouble? It was an awfully cruel game and had Elphaba sulking in the shade of the brick building. She would rather be learning than participating in this nonsense known as recess.

At first Elphaba had pushed her sister around, but even innocent little Nessarose realized that she wouldn't make many friends with her green sister always beside her. So the kind girl she'd been sitting with during class, with Mrs. Leane's consent, took the chair leaving Elphaba alone.

She pulled out a book and began to read, not noticing the shadows looming over her until a girl spoke.

"I'd heard there was a Lizard at our school, but I thought it was just a stupid story the first graders made up." Wearily, Elphaba looked up through her glasses. A group of older kids were surrounding her. Fifth graders most likely.

"She doesn't look like a Lizard, Sarah. She looks more like a girl with lizard skin." A boy snorted.

"Maybe she was an experiment of some sort." Sarah snickered, but sounded honestly curious. The others laughed in agreement.

"…Or maybe she's just a freak." The boy spoke again, rolling his eyes. Elphaba snapped and let her anger overflow.

"I can hear you!" Elphaba hissed, scrambling up and clutching her book tightly. The kids all looked at her with surprise as if they hadn't expected her to speak. Or to be able to speak. The green girl looked around for an escape and find none, so she pushed her way through the center and felt a hand brush her arm. It was Sarah, who was now looking at her as if she _was_ some sort of experiment.

"It feels normal." She murmured thoughtfully. Elphaba jerked her arm away from her touch and stalked across the playground to Nessarose.

**I've actually written all the storyline that's in my brain, so other than a vague idea of some events in the future of this story, I need to brainstorm ideas. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm open to them!**

**Review pleeeeease!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I know it's been a long time, but I actually have a good reason for not updating stuff. My laptop got some nasty virus that didn't let me do _anything_. Then my dad fixed it THANK GOODNESS, so I could continue writing. But up until now he thought fanfiction,net caused the virus, and just a few minutes ago I confirmed that it didn't. So hooray!**

**Aaaanyway, next chapter. I hesitated on giving Elphie a friend, cause Galinda is suppose to be the only friend she ever had. But what the heck? This is fanfiction, so I'll do what I want (to a certain extend).**

**Disclaim: I'm disclaiming Wicked. Not mine, sadly.**

When recess finally ended, the children were herded inside and out of the heat of the scorching sun. Elphaba did not understand the point of recess, nor why the teachers kept such loose rein on the students during that time. It was just cause for more pain on her part.

Finally in the shade of the classroom again, they went to their seats, most of them out of breathe from running and chasing games, but still full of energy and gossiping happily. Mrs. Leane came in and settled the first graders down.

"Now, now! Calm down, recess is over!" She chirped happily. "Arithmetic is next! And this is a partner assignment. You may choose your own this time." They cheered and immediately began choosing their partners through hand motions, eye contact and the occasional yell across the room. Nessa was working with her new friend, who seemed to take a liking to the sweet little girl, even if it was out of pity. Elphaba couldn't help but groan at the idea of pairs. She would work much better alone.

"Mrs. Leane," She said as the woman came over, "can I work by myself? I'll get it done better." The teacher shook her head.

"Sorry dear. I have a partner for you." A boy walked up behind her. He was quite obviously a munchkin even if he did still have time to grow, with brown hair and little glasses that hid gray eyes. "This is Riamond. He, like you, is ahead in math, so I though you should work together a separate assignment." She didn't mention that he, like her, couldn't seem to make any friends as well. She proceeded to explain what they would be doing and left them to do the work.

For a minute they sat in complete, uncomfortable silence. She stared at the desk with occasional glances (or were they glares?) at the boy while he stared very openly at her. But, at the very least, his staring didn't seem hostile.

"…Hi." He said finally in a quiet voice, seeming intimidated.

"Aren't you going to ask why I'm green?" She hissed bitterly. He looked scared for a second, and then shrugged.

"Why are you green?" He asked as if it were mandatory. She shot him a glared and he looked confused. "You asked me to ask! I wasn't going to be mean…" She looked at him, realizing this was the nicest another student had been to her today.

"Hi." She said simply, replying to the first thing he'd said. He gave a small but confused smile and they began their work.

By the end of the day they had, if not a friendship, an alliance. Not many people liked Riamond either, and he was teased some as well. The kids called him a nerd and made fun of his glasses while the sole point of their teasing Elphaba was her skin (completely overlooking the fact that she too had glasses). Though they didn't stand up for each other, or even really talk to each other too much, they were more comfortable not being alone.

At the end of the day Elphaba rolled Nessa out front where Frex was waiting to take his precious daughter home. The green girl let a small smile come to her lips as Riamond waved goodbye to her. Their Father smothered this youngest daughter, asking her question after question about how the day went and whether the work was too hard and a hundred other things as she answered politely. Elphaba rode quietly in the back.

To Elphaba's relief, Frex seemed content enough with the schools and how Nessarose's day went which meant they would get to stay in school. Even if school was filled with cruel name- calling children, Elphaba still needed to learn.

"Did you have fun today?" She asked her sister as she sat on the bed in their shared room that night. Her bed was significantly smaller than her sister's full sized and also very dull with a brown patchy bedspread and a single pillow.

"Yes. Abigail was very nice, and I like Mrs. Leane." She replied happily, then frowned. "But, sissy, it made me sad when people made fun of your skin like that." So she _had_ noticed the teasing, and yet chose to leave Elphaba alone on the playground anyway.

"It doesn't matter. They're stupid idiots." The green girl huffed, keeping her face carefully emotionless.

"Elphaba! You shouldn't say bad words like that!" The younger sibling replied, only to get an eye roll in return.

"I don't think those are _bad_ words."

"Daddy would get you in big trouble if he heard you say that." Nessa said seriously.

"_Daddy_ would get me in trouble for just about anything." Elphaba hissed before she could stop the words. Nessarose looked surprised.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm going to bed." She replied, and did just that.

The next day after their father dropped the girls off, a semi- enthusiastic Riamond greeted Elphaba. Semi- enthusiastic being very enthusiastic in comparison to his usually non- enthusiastic manor.

"Hi." He said, and she nodded in answer rather than saying anything. "I told my Ma about you."

"What about me?" He shrugged.

"Just that someone was nice to me for a change." He replied, shrugging again as if it were no big deal. "But I told her you were green and she called me a liar and told me if I told any more lies I'd be in big trouble. Now I get to prove her wrong." He grinned.

"Great…" She muttered.

"So will you meet my ma today after school?" She narrowed her already angular eyes at him. "Please?" She sighed and nodded. "Thank you. Don't worry, Ma's _never _wrong. The look on her face will be awesome!" Elphaba wasn't sure she was thrilled with the look that would most likely be on the woman's face. Pulling away from unpleasant thoughts, Elphaba fetched Nessarose from a conversation and lead her into the school.

"Ah, Miss Nessarose, Miss Elphaba!" Mrs. Leane greeted them. "I hope your day went well yesterday."

"Yes!" Nessarose said happily. The teacher smiled at them.

"Good." Class began and the green girl came to her seat. The members of her table were talking among themselves and snickering, but she ignored them completely.

"Okay, today we're doing an experiment!" Mrs. Leane chirped. Content sounds came from the class. "We're working on weather, so we'll be making little tornado simulators. Supplies are in the cabinet. Get up and get them as I call your table." She proceeded to give a demonstration, taking a bottle and filling it with water, and then putting another on top of it to create a little cyclone in it. She called the tables up one by one to get their bottles, and then the water. Elphaba froze. Water. That was not good.

"Mrs. Leane?" The green girl asked quietly. The teacher looked over from where she was helping another student. "I can't do this." She finished with the girl and walked over.

"Sure you can!" She said cheerfully. "Just go get some water and-"

"No!" Elphaba cried, and looked down as the class looked over to see what the commotion was. "No…" She murmured again, quieter.

"What do you mean?" The teacher asked, concerned.

"The water." Elphaba looked up.

"Honey, the water won't hurt you!"

"Yes it will!" She cried. The boy sitting next to her laughed.

"You're scared of water? That's stupid." He snickered. "Ooh, looked! I'm gonna touch you!" He held up wet fingers and wagged them in her face as she stumbled out of her chair. He rolled his eyes. "It's not gonna hurt you, Lizard girl." To prove his point, he picked up a vile of water a splashed her with it. She threw her arms up to block her face and held back a yell as her arms began to burn.

"Ow." She managed, trying to hold back tears at the pain; knowing crying would only make it worse.

"Elphaba! Elphaba, look at me!" Mrs. Leane cried, worried. "What's wrong?"

"Sissy!" Nessarose called, rolling over as fast as she could. "Sissy, what happened?" Elphaba looked up at her sister. The teacher noticed that now, in addition to the ugly dark greenish red burns on her arms, there were similar marks on her face where tears had been.

"Nessarose?" Mrs. Leane asked the little girl. "Does your sister have a skin allergy to water?

"Well, I don't know really." She answered. "Elphaba will_ never_ touch water though. Even for bathing." The whole class was listening, and a couple a students said "Ew!" at this.

"I'm going to have a talk with your father." The woman all but growled, leading the green girl out of the room." More than anything Elphaba was humiliated. She was used to burns; they were hard to avoid. But for everyone to _know_… It made her even more different, and she was different enough as it was.

Mrs. Leane, unsure of exactly how to deal with water burns, put some ice on them (Elphaba was scared until the woman show her that the ice was in a bag and couldn't actually touch her) and bandaged them up.

"Honey?" She asked the girl, who looked up. "Does your father… treat you right?" Elphaba's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Is he kind to you usually?" She rephrased. _No, he hates me_, she thought. But only shrugged as an answer.

"This is important! Does he ever say mean things to you? Maybe… about your skin?" Elphaba immediately got defensive.

"There's nothing wrong with my skin!" She hissed, knowing it was a lie. "And this is none of your business!" She turned away, hoping the teacher wouldn't get mad at her backtalk.

"Okay then. Let's go back to the classroom." The blonde woman said softly.

**Please review**


	6. Chapter 6

**I got the next chapter. Sorry it took so long. I'm starting to wonder whether two stories at once was the most brilliant idea. Not to mention school. Oh Well. I'm alternating chapters. I'm beginning to really love Mrs. Leane. Sooo yeah…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.**

The rest of the day came and went. Recess was okay, or at least better than the day before. Her and Riamond wandered around the field and playground together, away from most of the class and not many people bothered them. A few people teased him about 'being in love with a frog', but he'd only shrug and Elphaba would glare, causing the person to eventually go away.

Despite their friendship of sorts, it was obvious that the munchkin boy like touching her. He would flinch on contact if he did accidentally and then apologize timidly. She would frown and shrug in return. But he was friendly and would find little insects and creatures in the lush green grass and let them crawl across her hand while he explained everything about them, so the green girl didn't mind his slight fear.

Thankfully in the classes afterward there were partners again, so she and her knew friend- she liked the word. Friend- could work together again. They worked in comfortable silence. But once school was over Mrs. Leane grabbed the green girl by her hand and practically dragged the sisters to where Frex was waiting in the carriage. Only then did Elphaba remember what the teacher had said earlier about 'talking' to her father. That could not be good.

The teacher marched up to the governor with her hands on her hips.

"Why didn't you tell me your daughter was allergic to water?" She asked in a loud voice. "She could have been hurt! Severely!" Frex looked at her.

"I suppose it didn't cross my mind." He answered in a completely calm voice, but Elphaba would swear she saw some sort of deep anger in his eyes.

"Even though there was an _entire_ _section_ on the entrance form labeled allergies?" None of the students watching had ever seen Mrs. Leane so angry, and they crept closer to watch.

"You have no right to tell me how to raise my daughter!" As her teacher her teacher replied in a yell, Elphaba felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Riamond.

"Come on Elphaba. You promised you'd say hi to my Ma." He whispered, and she nodded, grateful to get away from the arguing adults. They walked on the sidewalk to a car near the end of the line. Elphaba stayed behind the boy, realizing now that she was out of one mess that she had gotten herself into another, despite what Riamond may think.

"Ma! I told you my friend was green." He yelled up triumphantly, being extremely short in comparison to the window of the car. A woman looked down at them. She looked very much like a high class Gilikenese woman; with too much make up, hair up in a fancy style, and an always-present sneer on her face. The green girl sighed. She had had her run-ins with woman like this before, and none had been good. Elphaba watched her expression twist into a scowl of disgust. Riamond's face fell.

"See? I told you so." He said weakly.

"What… is this exactly, darling?" She asked in a sticky sweet voice. The munchkin boy's brow crinkled.

"This is my friend Elphaba, who I told you about yesterday." The woman put on a look of obviously fake concern.

"Darling! I didn't know you were so lonely that you were befriending vegetables! I could have found you a friend if you told me!" Elphaba's blood boiled.

"But…" Riamond still looked very confused.

"Excuse my ma'am, but I am no _vegetable_." She growled, trying unsuccessfully to keep anger out of her voice. The look on the woman's face made it obvious that she was in trouble.

"You dare talk to me like that child?" The woman roared. Elphaba's eyes narrowed.

"So you admit that I am, in fact, a child?" She hissed sarcastically, despite the obvious danger. The lady was beside herself, but before she could retort, Frex came marching over.

"Elphaba Thropp, what have you gotten yourself into!" He yelled. She backed off and he turned to the woman in the car. "I hope she hasn't cause you too much trouble."

"Trouble? That child's crazy! The little freak dared backtalk me!" She practically screamed. "We certainly do not allow that sort of disrespect in _my_ house."

"I am deeply sorry ma'am." The governor replied. "I assure you she will be punished.

"Oz! What's going on now?" Mrs. Leane stormed over to Frex. "Do I have to tell how to take care of _your own child_?"

"Excuse me Mrs. Leane, but this little brat was being extremely rude." The woman in the car informed with narrowed eyes.

"She called me a vegetable." Elphaba muttered as a retort, thinking no one would hear it.

"It's an easy mistake to make, little brat." Riamond's mother sniffed. Elphaba was barely containing her anger, and little sparks were beginning to spontaneously explode like little fireworks near the tips of her emerald fingers. Riamond quickly grabbed her hand, despite his previous nervousness about it. The sparks stopped.

"Now, you guys! Is it necessary to act like this? You're acting like a bunch of children! At least these two have an excuse!" She gestured to Elphaba and Riamond.

"We will handle this ourselves, thank you." Frex's voice was ice cold, but Mrs. Leane was stubborn.

"Sir, maybe your daughter just had a rough day, if she was showing an attitude." She said in a rational voice. "How about you send little Elphaba home with me tonight? I don't mind at all. It just seems like you need some time apart." Frex looked dumbfounded at the suggestion. "Little Nessa can come too, if you'd like." She offered, but knew that he'd never send his precious younger daughter off with a stranger. He didn't care about Elphaba, though. She could practically feel the hate in the air. And though it seemed slightly wrong to take advantage of that fact, she knew without a doubt that this would benefit the little green girl.

"I'm not sending my little Nessarose off with a stranger!" He growled, proving the teacher right in her assumption.

"And Elphaba?"

"Frexspar! I thought you said you would discipline this little thing!" Riamond's mother pointed out.

"Mrs. Haymore, I am a teacher after all. If the child does something wrong I _will_ in fact discipline her." The plump blond woman kept her voice very relaxed. "And she could be punished after for whatever went on here later, at home." _After you have a chance to calm down_.

"Fine, woman! Have your way." Frex roared, and then marched off to his car. He drove away without so much as a second glance at Elphaba.

"Get in the car, Raimond. We need to get away from this mess."

"Bye Elphaba." The munchkin boy mumbled, waving. The green girl waved back.

"Bye."

"Well then, how about that for a goodbye from your father?" The teacher was really beginning to dislike the governor.

* * *

Elphaba would remember the night she stayed with her teacher the best night of her life until the night of the OzDust. Mrs. Leane had three children: and infant, a five-year old and a eleven-year old. How she took care of them and taught school the green girl never understand.

She had been embarrassed when she first realized there were other kids, but under the teacher's strict orders they were kind enough. They spent the night playing board games and watching a movie. There were laughs and hugs and friendly teasing, and for the first time Elphaba felt like part of a family.

Bt morning came, and with it the reality that she was not really one of them. She had her own family: a sister who demanded her help, a father who hated her, and a mother that was no more. Her family would never be like theirs, and she knew she better accept that, too. Wishing would get her nowhere.

When Riamond didn't come in that morning, Elphaba began to worry. What if his mom had gotten angry and hurt him, or he wasn't allowed back? She would be alone then. Completely alone. But he did eventually show up holding a doctor's note in his hand, and the green girl let out a sigh of relief.

At recess though, her friend couldn't come outside. He had been to the eye doctor who gave him drops that didn't allow him to be in the sunlight for a day. So, after being denied the right of sitting inside with him, Elphaba was alone.

She wandered around the field as usual, but with only one person, people followed, back at their cruel games again. Exhaustion from trying hard to stay away put her leaning back against the far corner of the metal fence. A raven landed next to her, ruffling it's feathers.

"I bet _you_ don't have problems like this." She muttered to it.

"Oh really? I wouldn't bet on it." The Bird replied in a young, female voice. Elphaba held back a gasp and stared in shock.

**Kind of a cliffhanger… ish**

**Review please =) And thanks a ton to everyone who's reviewed so far.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay then… I like the first half of this story, and the rest is filler crap sort of, sorry. I think I'm only writing a couple more chapters…**

**I accidentally put a chapter of a different story on here, then deleted it. Sorry if it caused confusion…**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Wicked. It'd be amazing if I did, but I don't.**

"What? Haven't you met an Animal before?" The Bird asked in a teasing tone. She was obviously used to surprise at her ability of speech. Elphaba had read about Animals, but never met one. She had to admit, she was slightly fascinated with the idea.

"Oh." The green girl recovered quickly and made an attempt to be polite. "No, I haven't. It's nice to meet you." If a Bird could smile, that was what this one was doing. She was smiling with her eyes, almost.

"And you, darling." She replied. "It's not often I get to have a civilized conversation with a human. I'm Tlena."

"I'm Elphaba." She told the little Bird. She must have been a Blue Bird, the green girl assumed, seeing the pretty sapphire markings.

"Elphaba. That's a very pretty name. Very exotic in a nice way. Your parents must be very creative." Elphaba laughed humorlessly, not bothering to be secretive as usual.

"Maybe my mother was, but my father sure isn't." She said with a sarcastic expression.

"Not too fond of him then?" Elphaba looked away.

"He hates me. And my mothers dead." Tlena fluttered onto her knees, which were near her face because of her curled up position.

"Now then, I'm sure it's not that bad. My mother died when I was very young, too. My father had to teach me and my siblings to fly. And my father… well I love him, but that Bird could be a military man, I swear. Not the kindest teacher in the world." She chuckled and Elphaba smiled.

"It must be amazing."

"What must be amazing?"

"Flying. I wish I could." She replied. "I think it'd be easier to be a Bird than a green girl." She muttered. Tlena laughed, a nice chirping sound.

"Oh, so that's what this is about? You shouldn't care, really." For some reason, Elphaba felt comfortable talking with this Bird, who was understanding and kind. So she opened up a bit.

"_I_ don't care. _They_ do." She mumbled, gesturing to the crowd of playing children in the field. "My father does."

"Well, I sure don't. I'm blue, who am I to talk?" Elphaba actually laughed at this.

"That hardly counts. You're a Blue Bird." She giggled.

"Oh really? How do you know? Perhaps I'm a Robin, and I'm blue instead of brown." Elphaba shrugged.

"No one would care if a bird was a weird color."

"Maybe so, but I _have_ felt discrimination, young one. Animals aren't being treated well these days." Elphaba looked at the Bird, recalling some bit of information from a book about banns going into consideration these days. They were just ideas, but ideas morph into more if given time. "My own children were denied access to this school because of their species."

"That's horrible!" Tlena lowered her feathery head.

"Indeed. The principal of the school, Mrs. Leane, fought for them, but her decision to let them in was overruled." The Blue Bird sighed. "Just because they weren't born the same species, because they don't have arms and hands."

"But they have wings. That makes up for it." The green girl said, almost to herself.

"Dear, if you wish to fly with so much passion, maybe someday you will." Elphaba smiled sadly.

"I'll have to go against laws of nature first."

"Haven't you done that already? Nature says 'humans are black and white' and you didn't seem to care, did you?" She said it affectionately, as a complement, not an insult. Elphaba turned away and closed her eyes.

"I suppose not."

* * *

"I think that was the most boring recess of my life." Riamond mumbled when Elphaba met him inside. She shrugged, knowing he probably didn't mean it.

"I met a Bird."

"Like a bird that can talk?" He asked, curious.

"Yeah… She said her children weren't allowed here because they're Birds too. It doesn't seem right. I don't like it. It's wrong." Her words were passionate, and he nodded sadly.

"We've kids. There's nothing we can do." His voice was sad, almost as if he'd accepted the fact a long time ago.

"Someday I will." The green girl murmured. "When I'm older." They sat in silence, doing the work they'd been assigned.

"My Ma doesn't like you." The munchkin boy told her suddenly. "I'm sorry I made you meet her." She shrugged.

"I don't care." He looked relieved.

"Good. But she did say I wasn't allowed to be friends with you anymore." She looked up at him with a shocked and hurt expression. "It's okay! I'm not gonna listen to her. But that means we can't walk to the car line together." He looked proud of his defiance. She smiled a little bit and shrugged again.

"Okay."

* * *

"You're really good friends with that one boy, aren't you?" Nessa asked later, after Frex had conducted his daily interview of Nessarose. Elphaba was curled up in a chair reading and her sister sat next to her.

"I suppose so." The green girl replied, not much in the mood for talking.

"That's good." The younger girl said happily, then perked up. "Oh Elphaba! Did I tell you? I'm going to play with Abigail today! She's coming over!" Elphaba looked at her sister, confused.

"Since when?"

"Since Daddy talked to her Mommy. He says she's a nice little girl, perfect for me to play with." Though she was taken off guard by the information, the green girl smiled. She hadn't seen her sister this excited in a while. She was happy for Nessa. Just then the sound of the doorbell rung through the house.

"That must be Abigail!" Nessa chirped, attempting to push herself towards the door. Elphaba came up from behind to help.

"Yes, yes. Welcome Mrs. Flaf." The governor greeted the girl's mother, inviting her and her child in. Abigail looked at Elphaba with a weary sort of fear in her eyes, and the green girl remembered her being one of the girls who had screamed at their initial meeting. Frex shot her a look that very obviously said 'get out of sight before her mother sees you' and she complied, watching and listening from around a corner.

"I know it may just be a rumor, but I've heard things about you eldest daughters complexion. I hope you don't mind me asking if they're true." Mrs. Flaf asked as she was leaving. She looked scared of offending the governor. But Frex just grimaced.

"…Yes, my eldest is green." He managed, scowling slightly.

"How interesting. Is she here?" At this Elphaba prepared to walk out from her hiding place, but her father shot her another look.

"Not now." He lied easily. "She's visiting relatives."

"Okay then. It was nice to meet you, Governor Thropp." She called, walking toward her car. Elphaba went to find Nessa and her friend. She knew without asking that it was her job to supervise them and help her sister.

It turned out that, despite her fear of Elphaba, Abigail truly was an extremely kind girl, though the friendship did seem to be partially out of pity. But in the green girl's opinion, as long as Nessa didn't realize that, it didn't matter. The two girls played dolls (which Elphaba was more than happy to stay out of), a catching game, and a game that involved an imaginary world (that required the green girl to push Nessa all over creation). By the time it was time for the girl to go home, all three were completely worn out. They slept like rocks that night.

* * *

The next morning she woke up with high hopes. School was going okay, despite the cruel nicknames and such. She had a friend and Nessa was happy, so things seemed good.

As she got out of the car pushing Nessa, she saw a group of boys crowded in a circle, looking at something and laughed. The green girl recognized that laugh as one saved for victims. Worried, Elphaba easily pushed through to see what was going on. If they were bullying some helpless kid, she was going to stop them. But as the moved out of the way, the green girl saw that it was not a kid they were bullying.

It was Tlena.

**Cliffhanger-ish… duh duh duuuuh**

**Review?**


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